Eduard 1/350 Naval Figures
By Michael Benolkin
Review
| Date of Review | November 2006 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Eduard |
| Subject | Naval Figures |
| Scale | 1/350 |
| Kit Number | 17501 |
| Media | Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Color printed on both sides of the figureswith details not easily done by hand |
| Cons | |
| Skill Level | Intermediate |
| MSRP (USD) | $12.95 |
Eduard from the Czech Republic is easily the most prolific producerof aftermarket details. Period. Their series of photo-etched detailsets have brought additional fidelity to otherwise bland subjects,and have taken even the best-produced models and kicked them upa notch or two with details that cannot be produced with injection-moldedplastic.
When Eduard first introduced the acetate-printed instrument facesthat go behind their photo-etched aircraft instrument panels, thisraised the bar on model cockpit reality as you could almost readthe time on the aircraft clock. How could they top that?
It took a number of years, but the answer is color photo-etch.Somehow Eduard has developed a process for printing color directlyon their photo-etched parts such that now you not only can readthe instrument faces, you can now see the color warning arcs aroundairspeed indicators and color reference circles around Luftwaffeflight and engine instruments. So how can they top that?
What is the one thing that adds life to a scale ship model?Well, that is the answer really - life. Figures. For some time,a variety of vendors have produced 1/350 photo-etched figures toposition around the decks of your masterpiece, but they were baremetal. Painting 1/350 figures does not sound like my idea of fun.
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Eduard to the rescue! They've taken their color photo-etch anddone something I've not seen before. With their aircraft and armordetail sets, they only have to color print one side of their partsto get the job done. But think about it, if they printed coloron only one side of these figures, you wouldn't be much betteroff.
If you look at the images to the right, you can see that thisis the same fret of photo-etch imaged from front and back. Youcan see that Eduard has printed color on BOTH sides of the photo-etchedfigures. What's more, they have printed on detail that looks asgood up close under a magnifying glass (click on an image) as itdoes from here. Good luck trying to achieve that level of detailpainting by hand!
While these will still look thin from the sides, you nowhave THE BEST figures ever produced in this scale now availablefor your projects.
How cool is this?
Recommended for experienced modelers!
